Ohio’s new state budget for State Fiscal Years 2018-19 supports important public health issues. The new budget:

Continues to expand access to the life-saving opiate overdose reversal drug naloxone to save lives, including through new local Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone) programs. These programs arm family and friends of people who use drugs with naloxone to administer during an overdose while waiting on first-responders to arrive. It can be the difference between life and death.

Increases funding to support proven community-based infant mortality initiatives and help more Ohio babies reach their first birthdays. This funding will be used to support evidence-based initiatives that tackle the leading causes of infant mortality – preterm birth, sleep-related deaths and birth defects.

Makes it easier for Ohio families to identify lead-safe homes when looking for a place to live through a new Lead-Safe Housing Registry that will be created.

Aligns public health with improving health outcomes and addressing health disparities in Ohio, increases the state subsidy for accredited local health districts, makes health assessment data more accessible for community planning, and aligns state funding to support health improvement plan priorities.

Strengthens ODH oversight of nursing home/long-term care facility employees for the health, safety and well-being of residents. It authorizes ODH to investigate long-term care employees for alleged abuse, neglect, exploitation or misappropriation of a resident’s property, and bars employees found to have engaged in these activities from working in long-term care facilities in the future.

According to the Ohio Revised Code (R.C. 3701.742) ODH is required to adjust the fee table for medical records according to the annual consumer price index for all urban areas (CPI-U) for the preceding year as published by the U.S. Department of Labor.

With the recent passage of Senate Bill 23, some adoption records that were formerly closed will be open to adoptees in March of 2015. Please visit ODH's Vital Statistics website to learn more about the impact of the new law on adoptions finalized between Jan. 1, 1964 and Sept. 18, 1996.

MISSION:

Protect and improve the health of all Ohioans by preventing disease, promoting good health and assuring access to quality care.

2015 has been a year of planning for the Ohio Department of Health. Below you will find a link to the 2015-2017 ODH Strategic Plan, the 2015-2016 State Health Improvement Plan Addendum, and the most recent state health assessment.

ODH's Office of Health Assurance and Licensing regulates many types of health care facilities through both state licensure and federal certification rules. The Bureau of Long Term Care ensures the quality of care and quality of life of the residents of nursing homes and Residential Care Facilities (RCFs), also known as assisted living facilities, by conducting on-site inspections/surveys for compliance with state and federal rules and regulations in nursing homes/facilities.

Need to file a complaint against a nursing home or other health care facility? Call our hotline at 1-800-342-0553 or Complaint Form.

The Ohio Revised Code requires the Auditor of State to conduct performance audits of at least four state agencies each budget biennium. The State Auditor recently completed a performance audit of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and issued itsreport. Public comments on the report are being accepted by ODH until July 15, 2017. If you would like to submit comments, please send them to Director@odh.ohio.gov.